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Topic Review (Newest First)

12-15-2007 08:11 PM

Youngster

How much for a bat up little rat rod like this?

That's a great little ride. Did you put it back on the road?

Youngster

12-15-2007 03:47 PM

SJR

Im not that old but heres my car I drove to high school back in 82' I didnt read all the posts but got the general Idea, this car is all I could aford and yes I built it myself, I would of prefered a nicer newer car but I didnt have the money at the time its basically junk others didnt want , I never called it a rat rod it was just my old model A ., I ended up falling asleep one evening and rolled the car, and at the time it had a metal top I had welded up I walked away from it with only bruses ita a very light car

the first one, probably isnt worth much, the guy probably has like a grand in it. the other one though belongs to one of the members of ZZ top, and is worth a whole lot of money im sure because of that.

but if your really interested in rat rods, go check out the KillBillet.com forums. Those guys are a lot of help on where to find. and theres a lot of good information and defination of what a rat rod is.

08-13-2007 08:30 PM

mickey1031

hey ,
This might be late for you but i want to let you know from a kid that learn the hard way.

I was hunting and litterly fell threw the windshield of my first car I was 13yrs old.
I asked my uncle what is was and he noticed i had a interest in the car.

the advantage is that he and my G-father owed a gas station for years so he knew how to work on cars. I didn't know squat.

But figure out what kind of cars you like. find out what those cars are.
I you like trucks then look at them and figure out what they are.

Also if you listen to allot of the old timers they will tell you a truck for a first project is better then a car. for the simple fact there is less to them.

But this is not always the truth . some of the guys here have a whole lot more work in their trucks then i had in my car and it was a 56 Chevy.

i now have a had several other cars and just recently found a great deal for a 49 ford truck.

But to learn you can find tons of information these days on line.
when i did it they didn't even know what a computer was for at home LOL

they were the size of most houses back then. here i sit with it on my lap.

but the point is find the car/ truck you want and like .
then start looking for one that you can afforded. if you look hard enough and long enough you will find one.

Also if you wan to do some thing like a custom car. then look for the car of your choice and find someones parts car that is not completely tore apart. but that is complete as you can afforded.

and start restoring it. one part at a time.

another thing to do is get in to the old junk yard in your area. not sure where you live but most small towns have one around them and if you take the time to look you might find what your looking for there.

When i started with my car i would go out and find parts from cars like the 56 Chevy . weather i had them or not. i cant tell you how many hours i put in to polishing hub caps and also restoring head light buckets. and several other small parts that i could afforded to buy. then i would take them to the showers and ask around if they knew someone looking for any of the parts i had that were done.

Also side moldings that were in good shape that you can polish were good sellers also. and in my case i did models real well and would restore emblems also.

but i have gone on long enough Good luck!! and dont give up is the best thing i can tell ya.

08-11-2007 01:37 PM

Leaky Pipes

The grill is a def a 34.

08-10-2007 08:36 PM

Youngster

How much for..........

I think you'll find Billy's truck to be a '35 or'36.... Youngster.

08-10-2007 08:26 PM

Leaky Pipes

The bottom car is a 33 or 34 pickup. the cab alone is worth more than the entire car in the top pic. the grills are very rare as well fetching high dollars.

08-10-2007 01:20 PM

banjo

Rat Rod Truck

A guy from Danville, Kentucky built the truck, Billy Gibbons bought it from him, and now keeps it at SoCal

08-05-2007 10:05 PM

30fordhotrod

How much for a beat up little rat rod like this?

Car #2 is Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. So Cal built it.

08-05-2007 09:39 PM

banjo

rat rods are perfect for some

I have grown up going to "high end" car shows and seeing owners worry about getting rained on, and having their cars get scratched up. I do not understand why people go through the trouble to haul their cars to shows I think it is ridiculous therefore I think a rat rod or low budget hot rod is the perfect solution as long as they are safe, comfortable and reliable, as far as the two cars pictured in the beginning of this thread go, I dont know anything about the first, but I know the builder of the second, and it is a very solid driver, with almost all new or refurbished parts other than the body (Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top actually purchased this car last year), many of these rat rods are not nearly as ratty as they look, and a lot of money are spent on them, however, I think the fun in these are building them yourselves not buying a prefabed rat rod. I will also agree that what people are paying for these cars is crazy! It is not cheap or easy to build a safe reliable hot rod, but it is worth it in the end, and by building a rat rod you will be able to enjoy it no matter the weather or the road conditions.

01-23-2007 07:33 AM

farna

As far as brakes go, you can do what I suggested to a friend at a local rod shop. He's building a traditional "rat" style car (really low!!). He's building it right, using some traditional parts (Nailhead engine w/three deuces, Dual-Range Hydro, huge drums all the way around) and some modern parts (air bags in rear only). I suggested he make some "landing pads" in the rear, with the front curved up. If the brakes failed he could always let the air out of the rear...

01-23-2007 04:39 AM

Rob (chuck) Berry

I think the "hardcore" rat rodders I see in the magazines are using the car as an additional styling accessory, to go with the ducks a haircut and the polka dot skirts on the girls. On the other hand at least here in Aus, there are quite a few rods built using vintage parts such as A models and early truck bodies with flatheads, unsplit radius rods, undropped axles and sometimes channeling (above the scrub line). BUT all the street driven ones have minimal rust, floorboards and servicable steering and brakes, and those super expensive skinny whitewalls, together with the mexican blanket and big steering wheels and two foot long shifters. Unfortunately the streetable cars are classed in the same category as the undrivables.
If you look at my project album you will see I have a 34 lookalike built with what I had around (just about zip!) if I could have found a body and chassis in even close to reasonable shape I would have still wound up with a similar car, but I didn't. My newest aquisition is a real deal 35 Ford hearse! I could cut it up and hash it up with a six inch channel and get the smoky flathead going and tow it to events, but I won't. You see, I, just like most the other rodders out there actually ENJOY the labour, the smell of rust flakes after they have been cut out, the figuring out how the heck I will fit this and that without butchering the firewall; sussing out steering and the right diff to use, matching the brakes and making as much as I can, then maybe enhancing the body lines to suit my taste and perhaps doing something different with out going overboard. The final reward of driving a car with unique character is worth the months or even years of construction time. Individualism.
As far as getting new guys to the sport, I always stop to talk if a young guy asks me about the cars in the shed or if Im out on a drive. I certainly found hotrodding by asking questions as a kid and as I grew older I read every book and magazine I could lay my hands on forming ideas and laying plans for my future rod. I find the guys who will end up as Rodders are the ones who step up and make the move, to the young fellow that started this thread all I can say is it takes more than money to be a Rodder, your question perhaps should have been " How do I go about making a car like in the pictures" the answer is the same as all us have experienced, study, read, and learn. Find out where the Rodders are stand back and ask questions and for goodness sake respect the guys car (even if it isnt your ideal) and if you arent too much of a pain youll find out most of us will welcome you into the fold. You probably wont do a great job first time out but dont be put off by the nay sayers just do the best you can when you finally get a car to do up whether its an early Ford or a later model, be proud that you are an individual and have a mind of your own. Being a hotrodder is a state of mind.

Best of luck

Rob

01-22-2007 04:00 PM

Good Frosty

Umm...yeah, atleast paint it with rattlecan paint. Might temporarily stop rust and it makes whatever your building look more like a work in progress, and less like a pile of parts.

Course, that dosn't mean you could build something shoddy, throw some paint on it and be done.

01-22-2007 11:48 AM

FordMan1951

Quote:

Originally Posted by Good Frosty

Build something that dosn't look like it will kill anyone...pretty much.

I have to agree... LOOKING safe is real important. When Joe citizen gets passed by a safe looking Hot Rod he worries about the driver. When he gets passed by an unsafe LOOKING vehicle, even if it IS safe, he worries about parts falling off in his path.

An unsafe LOOKING vehicle is bad for the Hot Rodders image. A primer coated car looks safer than a car covered in rust. That is just the way it is.

01-21-2007 09:26 PM

poncho62

I dont care who owns it..........If that thing had a blowout, the body would drop right on the road..............To me, that makes it unroadworthy. Of course, what do I know, I can't even play a guitar.

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